This workstream will facilitate the rollout of 4G/5G across the region addressing both mobile coverage and capacity issues. We are working collaboratively with other City Deal Projects and Programmes to create 5G centres of excellence for key sectors such as health and wellbeing, creative industries, R&D to realise the benefits of 5G, fully exploit the use of IoT and adopt emerging technology.

Shared Rural Network

The shared infrastructure being deployed through this UK Government and industry led Programme is critical to reducing both partial and total not spots in some of the worst served areas of our region.

We are working closely with communities that will benefit from the programme to ensure they realise the opportunities this will bring to their area, the time sensitive nature of the programme and listening to any concerns they may have.

Our Next Generation Infrastructure Managers are liaising with mobile network operators (MNOs), their agents, UK Government and internal Local Authority departments to facilitate each build. You can find out more information on the Shared Rural Network website, alternatively our teams can answer any questions you may have.

Digital Connectivity Accelerator - Public sector assets

We are keen to work with MNOs and Neutral hosts to address any mobile capacity issues identified in the region. We are working with our Local Authority partners to develop a streamlined acquisition process for the use of public sector assets to deploy mobile infrastructure.

Digital Innovation Network

We’re deploying 240+ LoRaWAN gateways across the region which will enable both the private and public sector to trial the use of Internet of Things technology (IoT). 

5G Centres of Excellence

We’re working with partner projects and programmes to establish 5G centres of excellence targeting economically significant key sectors. A number of opportunities are being explored, including:

  • Innovation Matrix, Swansea
    Research and knowledge exchange to connect with, and support, cross-sector MNEs, SMEs, micro-enterprises, entrepreneurs, and investors to stimulate commercial growth for Wales’s expanding digitally empowered economy.  
  • Pembroke Dock Marine
    Pembroke Dock Marine will deliver the facilities, services and spaces needed to establish a world-class centre for marine engineering. The project’s drive to maximise innovation and operational efficiencies will seek to drive down the cost of marine energy, while acting as a foundation programme that will support the growth of new initiatives in the region. 5G will provide a platform for emerging technologies that will be used in the development, deployment, and support for clean and renewable energy development. 
  • Gelli Aur Agricultural college
    Gelli Aur farm campus located near Llandeilo offers agricultural, forestry, countryside management and land-based engineering courses. As a key stakeholder in the region, we are exploring investment opportunities in 5G / IoT/ immersive learning and other agri-tech enabled solutions with the college.
  • Canolfan S4C Yr Egin, Carmarthen
    A digital and cultural creative hub at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen for the digital and creative industries, promoting the status of the Welsh language and Welsh culture. 5G will enable faster processing of data to enable the delivery of rich immersive experiences and deliver high quality live experiences across the centre, which is also the national headquarters for S4C, Wales’ leading Welsh Language TV broadcaster.
  • Pentre Awel – Health and wellbeing development.
    The project provides public, academic, business and health facilities all on one site to boost employment, education, leisure provision, health research and delivery, and skills and training. The project is planned to include integrated care and physical rehabilitation facilities to enable the testing and piloting of life science technologies aimed at enhancing independence and assisted living.  5G will improve current knowledge and develop new skills to help with the development of innovation in healthcare and life sciences such as remote medicine and emergency care, real time monitoring and service robotics. 
  • Homes as Power Stations – Smart home technology
    Aiming to facilitate the adoption of the Homes as Power Stations approach to integrate energy efficiency design and renewable technologies into the development of new build homes and retrofit programmes carried out by the public, private and third sectors. This will tackle fuel poverty while helping residents save money on their energy bills. 5G will enable a new generation of solutions to monitor and provide live data for energy efficient housing. 
  • Swansea University Campuses – Life science, health and sport
    A vision for the Campuses project is to deliver two complementary initiatives across two sites in two phases (Singleton and Morriston in Swansea) that add value to the regional life science, health, and sport sectors. This will support interventions and innovation in healthcare and medicine to help prevent ill-health, develop better treatments, and improve patient care, while boosting sport through world class sport science and new facilities.
  • Supporting Innovation and Low Carbon Growth
    The programme will deliver sustainable jobs and growth in the Swansea Bay City Region to support the creation of a decarbonised and innovative economy, thanks to a partnership between government, academia, and industry.  5G technology can leverage its fundamental characteristics of high volume, high speed, and reliability across large numbers of devices to allow real-time analysis and optimised decisions to be made across the energy ecosystem, leading to improved usage of energy and new ways of thinking to develop new solutions and technologies. 

If you’d like to know more about any of these exciting projects, please get in touch.